how do hydraulic lash adjusters work 

thanks!

how does it exhibit the noise? mine ticks for a while when cold.

Hi Peter, thanks for the kind words! Its so long ago now i can't be 100% sure, but i think i did this: i put the shims and then the hydraulic lash adjusters into the head (in their holes beside the cam shaft), then put the rocker cover back on top of the head. I had to wiggle the rocker cover around slightly to make sure everything is seated as it should be, but it was easy enough. That way you don't have to hold onto those lash adjusters as you put it all back together. Just make sure you aren't putting the lash adjusters in upside down like i did for a minute lol. Does that make sense??

@@eananstrain6817 Hi Eanan. I just thought that the oil would drain from them thinking that they would be "opening end" downwards. I assume then that it can't because it's actually the "nipple" end which is uppermost and bears against the rocker cam? I just like to get things right in my head (I'm also an enthusiastic home mechanic) and like to know how things work. Cheers!

Yea you're spot on. So if the engine is in it regular upright position, the wide end of those lash adjusters sit on top of a shim or two and seat into the head...'nipple end towards the sky', then the rocker cover is lowered on to the head as you'd normally expect. That way they wont ever be upside down. Anyway, even if you spill a bit of oil/kerosene from them while installing them, they'll fill up with engine oil when you start the motor...well, they should anyway! I know that in this video ive the rocker cover & last adjusters upside down while its sitting on the bench, so its a bit confusing! I'm real life its all turned up the right way. Good luck with the work!

Yea I had to do this because this engine had been left out in the rain for years with the head off! There was a LOT of water damage in the rear cylinder. I had to bore the cylinders out to two sizes over regular and get bigger pistons...and change both timing chains because they were really stretched for some reason. This was a junk bike, so it didn't have a speedometer on it; no idea of mileage, sorry. Hopefully this is a once in a lifetime job! It's been running strong since. Good luck with yours!

unfortunately I think it isn't possible to change these with the engine in the frame, because it's necessary to remove the valve covers to get at them. The frame is a bit too tight. However, that's just my guess. I had the engine out already before I did this job so I can't say for sure. I understand the VT750 does make this possible, but perhaps not possible on the VT1100. Hopefully you get something sorted without having to take the engine out!

eanan strain thanks!!! I will try and post back if I could! its damn hard to take the engine out without the right lifting tools :-(

yea it's a heavy lump alright. I used a car jack with a 50cm X 50cm plank of wood on top of it to lift the engine up while I undid the mounting bolts. with a bit of rocking back and forth it came out of the frame easily. Then I lowered the jack with the engine on it, and it came right out! Good luck with your fix

I wonder is this a simple timing issue? For example, can you hand turn the motor until that cylinder you're working on is at top dead centre and both valves are fully closed? If it isnt, I'd imagine you will have the issue you describe...and its easy to sort: just set that cylinder to top dead centre! Would that sort your issue?

@@eananstrain6817 the cams are facing down when I tighten the head. The valves seem to be closed but when I blow air in the sparkplug hole I can feel air escaping at the inlet. When I remove the oil from the adjuster's and even some shims, then the valves stay closed. The front cilinder ran just fine last time, and now I removed the cilinderhead to look at the front adjusters, the front inlet valves are also open. I'm going to start the engine with the lifters only partially filled so the valves stay closed, hopefully they will adjust when oil pressure builds up.

@@T1mmy05 Huh, well that's a real head scratcher. I was hoping for you that it would be a simple cam-position issue! Truthfully, I don't really know what to suggest other than what you already plan on doing. Before you button the motor back up and go to all the trouble of re-assembling the bike, (I'm guessing here) perhaps you could take a look at the assist spring and assist shaft (see 8:26 on the video) to check whether it's as it should be (IIRC these can be measured for play, which determines what size shims are installed under each lash adjuster)....and....check that the rocker shafts that hold the followers are aligned and seated properly....Sorry buddy, but that's all I can suggest. fingers crossed its something simple & an easy fix!

@@eananstrain6817 Hello to all. I have the same problem with my vt1100 sabre. Plan is also to start the engine and wait for the tappets to adjust on their own. Q : what happened when you started yours? Did the tappets readjust?

@@milosjeremic2145 Yes it ran fine. If I remember correctly I filled the with oil first, installed them and ran the engine. I'm not sure whether that was the best thing to do, or whether I should have left them empty and let them fill on their own when I ran the engine. But all seemed fine anyway, the tappets must have adjusted themselves. Good luck with with work.

Duvas Nunez That's kerosene - I got that from the oil tank in my house (it's actually red in real life, the camera just makes it look pink).